Ensuring that the successor fulfilled the requirements to inherit the Holy Sword.
It was already an incredibly difficult task in itself, but there was a more pressing issue to solve first.
'How should we put her in that position?'
We needed to get the successor out into the world outside these mountains before we could start anything.
I realized that it wasn’t just a matter of convincing the successor.
The ambiguous issue was the existence of the successor’s father, Ben.
'Even in the game, the successor was obviously very reluctant to talk about her father.'
It wasn’t hard to figure that out. Could something have happened to her father in the intervening years between now and then?
Otherwise, there seemed to be no reason for her to venture out of the mountains, no reason for her to be reluctant to talk about her father, and no reason for her personality to be a bit darker in the future than it was now.
And if that were really true, it was obvious what that change was. The attack of the demon contractor, which we prevented with the intervention of the hero and I.
I couldn’t say for sure, but it was the best guess I could come up with at the moment, given the evidence.
Putting that aside, the father was the only family member the successor had.
The successor didn’t seem likely to easily leave her father behind and go outside of the mountain range alone, and the opposite was true as well.
So, unless we were going to kidnap the successor by force, not only she but also her father, needed to be persuaded.
'The hero is probably struggling with this by now.'
I asked Asher, who was standing behind me.
“Asher.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any good ideas about the inheritance of the Holy Sword?”
I had already shared all the information about the Holy Sword and its successor with Asher, so she should understand the current situation.
Asher tilted her head slightly with a confused expression.
“I’m sorry. I’ll try my best to think of something.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just asking.”
I couldn’t think of anything either, so I didn’t expect Asher to come up with any ideas.
I let out a small sigh and lay down on the grass.
As I lay there with my arms behind my head, I noticed Asher’s expression in my peripheral vision.
There was something strange about her expression, as if a shadow had fallen over it.
“...”
When did Asher start acting like this?
It must have been around the middle of our journey with the hero.
I couldn’t figure out why. I had a vague feeling it wasn’t just because she was uncomfortable in the hero’s presence.
I decided to address the issue with Asher and opened my mouth.
“Asher.”
“Yes?”
“Have you been feeling a bit strange lately, or is it just me?”
I didn’t want to beat around the bush and decided to ask her directly.
Asher took a small breath and hesitated for a moment. There was definitely something going on.
“No, Sir Ron. I...”
“If you want to pretend it’s nothing, go ahead. I believe you, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Asher’s eyes trembled.
“Just know that you don’t always have to be composed or unshakable in front of me. I never expected that from you.”
I said that and turned my head again.
If she didn’t speak up even after saying that, there’s nothing else to do. I didn’t want to force her to speak up.
After a moment of silence, Asher spoke up with a suppressed voice.
“I couldn’t tell you because it was too pathetic of a reason.”
“...?”
Pathetic?
I said, tilting my head.
“There’s nothing new about that. I’ve seen your pathetic side many times.”
“Excuse me?”
“Forgetting to put salt in the stew, secretly petting Ti-Yong, or making a pouty face... or...”
“Um, yes?”
Asher stumbled over her words as if she had malfunctioned.
“Just kidding.”
She seemed so crestfallen that I tried making a joke, but her response was extreme.
She blushed until her face was completely red, as if my joke had shocked her beyond belief.
“Whatever the reason, you don’t have to worry about disappointing me. Just tell me.”
Asher calmed down and returned to her usual state, letting out a sigh.
“I started feeling unsure about how I could be of help on our journey.”
There was no need to ask why she felt that way.
The hero was already an uncomfortable presence for her because of what happened to her tribe, and now, the other even became a collaborator.
'...Ah, come to think of it.'
That’s right, I guess that’s when it started.
The conversation with the hero, when I comforted her and told her that she was the only one I could rely on right now.
Asher seemed to have felt a sense of doubt after hearing that conversation.
If that was the case, then this guy really was firmly mistaken about something.
“Do you remember the conversation we had in the archmage’s dungeon?”
“......?”
“I talked to you about what I want and my purpose, and you willingly agreed to help me.”
As I slowly stood up, I looked straight at Asher.
“Those were my true feelings that I spoke out loud for the first time, the first true words I’ve ever spoken to anyone.”
“.....”
“Do you understand, Asher? You were the first one. Think about what that means. And stop having such pathetic thoughts.”
It had nothing to do with one’s power or force.
In this lonely world, Asher was, and always would be, the one person I could rely on.
Asher stood there motionless for a while and soon nodded her head with a blank expression.
“Yes...”
I thought it was serious, but it wasn’t that big of a deal after all. Anyway.
I brushed off my clothes and stood up from my seat.
I could faintly hear the hero talking to the successor in the distance.
***
Aindel, the hero, watched Kaen wield a wooden sword in the courtyard.
She had gone inside the cabin, and now she was back out in the courtyard, practicing her swordsmanship.
“......”
The movement of the sword she drew one after another, the balance of her body, and the movement of her muscles.
Everything was perfect, without any flaws.
She was wielding a perfect sword that she could exhibit at her current level.
One could tell at a glance whether it was the fruit of hard work or a natural talent bestowed by heaven.
'A genius.'
Kaen was the successor of the Holy Sword. So it was not surprising, but she was the latter. It would have been more surprising if she was anything less.
“You’re observing quite closely.”
Kaen stopped swinging her sword and turned her gaze to Aindel.
Although Aindel was the one who was in the yard first, and it was Kaen who began to swing the sword in front of her, Aindel offered an apology.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion.”
“It’s not an intrusion.”
With her sword hanging from her shoulder, Kaen cleared her throat and asked.
“You’re Aindel, right? You’re also a swordsman, aren’t you? Can you tell me how my swordsmanship looks?”
“It’s absolutely excellent.”
“Really? It’s not just empty words?”
“It’s the truth. I have no reason to speak empty words.”
Kaen exhaled and shrugged her shoulders before sitting next to Aindel.
“By the way, why did you ask me to hold that strange sword and see if it suits me? What am I supposed to do after confirming if the sword is suitable for me?”
“To find a new owner for the sword.”
“A new owner...? Why?”
“Because my days of holding that sword are numbered. It is too precious to be buried with me in my grave.”
At those words, Kaen looked at her in surprise.
“What, did you catch some incurable disease?”
“You could say that.”
“If it’s an illness, my father can cure all sorts of things. Should I tell him about it?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of illness that can be treated. I will just appreciate your concern.”
“But, still...”
Kaen was about to say something more, but stopped, sensing an unrecognizable determination in Aindel.
“So, am I suitable as the owner of that sword? It seemed to glow brightly for some reason.”
Aindel shook her head.
“I’m not sure about that yet.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Kaen spoke cautiously as she watched her expression.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. I’ll do my best.”
Aindel smiled faintly.
“Then I have a few things I’m curious to ask you.”
“Of course, ask me anything.”
“It might sound strange, but why are you living alone with your father in this deep mountain forest?”
There was no immediate answer to her question.
Looking away and scratching the back of her neck, Kaen finally spoke.
“Well, there’s no particular reason. I’ve been living here with my father for as long as I can remember.”
“If there’s only one memory that I have from outside the mountain range, it’s that my father saved me when I was dying and brought me here. Even that is fading from my memory, and I don’t remember it well. Whenever I ask my father, he always avoids answering.”
Aindel looked at her with a strange expression. Did that mean the man named Ben wasn’t her real father?
“Have you ever thought about going outside the mountain range?”
Aindel changed the subject as she noticed Kaen looked uneasy. She had to take this girl to the outside world if she wanted to her to inherit the Holy Sword.
But she didn’t have the slightest desire to force her to go.
Unless the situation became so urgent that it couldn’t be delayed any longer.
She knew, and understood, the reality of sacrificing the little people for the greater good.
But she had no intention of passing on the responsibility if the successor refused to become the owner of the Holy Sword of their own will. That was the reason she was the hero.
“Well... I’m not sure. But I am interested in the outside world.”
Kaen started to talk excitedly.
“I only know about it from books or stories my father told me. Places like cities where a lot of people gather, the Santea Magic Towers where all kinds of magess gather to study new magic, and adventurer groups that travel around the continent looking for ancient ruins.”
“Yeah, there are things like that outside.”
“And Calderic, where you came from, seems like an interesting place, too. The Lords who rule there are of different races, right?”
Aindel nodded, letting her words sink in.
Still, it was a good thing that she had an interest in the outside world. If she had no interest at all, convincing her would have been quite difficult.
“The most interesting thing is the academy that Mr. Rodiven told me about.”
“The academy...?”
“Yes, the academy. Or was it the Arcadia? Anyway, it’s a place where a lot of people my age gather to learn all sorts of things. They learn swordsmanship, magic, and gather to do research together.”
Aindel looked at Kaen with a strange expression as the other continued her story.
If she listened closely, her story was centered more on the idea of people coming together to do something than on the place itself.
